Local conferencing

Southeast gathering @ Emory, Nov 2023
Upcoming

Organized by Soya Park

Northesast gathering @ NYC, Nov 2022

Organized by Rosanna Bellini, Andrés Monroy-Hernández and Jérémie Lumbroso

Agenda

Things to improve: While participants found the sessions were overall engaging and interesting, the nature of panel sessions sometimes unfairly distribute time between panelists. Chairs can ensure each panelist does not go over their assigned time. It might be also worth to reduce the size of panelists per panel or try other forms of dissemination other than panel sessions.

Organize in my area

What is local conferencing

There is an opportunity to create a new model that incorporates the best elements of both in-person and virtual conferences. We propose an alternative: locally-grouped "unconferences". Unconferences are gatherings that combat the hierarchical structure of standard conference design, by minimizing formal speeches and emphasizing informal connections through participant-driven content.

Super efficient!

Super efficient!

The local-meet up is saving time of participants and organizers
Interactive!

Interactive!

Keeping the gathering small allows everyone to meet each other
Sustainable!

Sustainable!

Since participants don't have to fly aboard, it reduces carbon footprint

Quick & easy

You can host your own local event!

Ingredients: 📍 A room that can fit all the participants (the building should be close to restaurants for BYOF) ☕ Catering beverage and snacks for coffee breaks

  1. 1. Gauge people's interest in joining and check their availability by setting up a google form. Refer to this template: Link to the Google Form
  2. 2. Once you get a critical mass, fix the date and let everyone know. And also post your event at this website.
  3. 3. Scout for where to host the event. The event does not have to happen at the home institute of the organizers, but somewhere convinient and accessible. Contact some respondents and ask them if they can get a room and snacks for coffee breaks.
  4. 4. Plan agenda. Now this is the fun part! You have complete wiggle room to customize the event as you wish. You can tweak previous event. Copy this template: Link to a Google Doc. We urge you to include a brief townhall in your event and share very very short summary of it, so the next organizer can improve up on your event.
  5. 5. Have fun at the event :)